Cleft Stories

No, this picture has nothing to do with Emily or clefts. It was drawn by Ana (who is six). But it’s so cute I couldn’t help posting it. It’s a drawing of Elphaba, the witch from Wicked (a Broadway musical).

Ana wanted me to send this picture to Idina Menzel, the actress who played Elphaba in the original cast of Wicked on broadway because we’ve been listening to the soundtrack forever and now Ana has it in her little head that she wants to sing on Broadway. So I’ve been stalking poor Idina trying to figure out if there’s a fan club or some place I can send the picture. Maybe she does Google searches and will stumble on this post. Idina, if you made it here, this one’s for you. Okay, my stalking days are over.

I can’t believe how fast this summer is flying by. Emily is getting so big! She started gymnastics a month ago (that’s her little flouncy leotard that she loves). She’s doing very well. She’s in the same class as Ana (it’s from ages 3 to 6) but they split the big kids and the little kids up. Emily loves to bounce on the trampoline. She’s also going to daycare three days a week where they moved her up from the toddler to the preschool room (in June). She was a little resistent at first, but she seems to love it now. Her favorite activity is the computer – she runs to it whenever I drop her off. She seems to have a love/hate relationship with the computer at home though, so we’re keeping the two of them separated until I can find some age appropriate games instead of the harder ones her big sister plays.

Here’s a shot of Ana (Emily’s big sister) waiting to take a train to the city to see Wicked on Broadway. We had a blast. Ana now wants to be Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) for Halloween. That’s right, she wants to be Elphaba…NOT Glinda. That’s my girl!

Here’s my cutie patootie hanging out on the couch. Is it me, or is her hair FABULOUS? I wish mine had half the body. That zombie-like look to her eyeballs is my fault. I was a bit too overzealous with the red-eye removal.

I’ve just added two new cuties to the NAM gallery. Here are their new smiles:

Roger – Bilateral Cleft Lip/Palate – treated in Denver, Colorado

Rylee- Bilateral Cleft Lip/Palate – treated in Virginia

Check out the NAM Gallery to see pictures of both cuties before and during NAM. Thanks to the moms who were kind enough to share these photos of their babies. I know it helps many parents out there to see our kids looking beautiful and happy.

My entire family (as in Me, my husband, Emily and her big sister Ana) are once again participating in the Forward Face Walk for Awareness of Facial Differences. We raised over $1200 last year and hope to top that number this year.

This is my charity of choice for so many reasons, but most of all because I want people to see my daughter as I see her – an individual, a bright spark, a miracle. I don’t want people to look at Emily and see her scars and think that that’s all there is to her.

This walk is meant to raise awareness of facial differences in schools across the country. In the words of Forward Face:

“We walk for children everywhere who are born with craniofacial differences or aquire them due to accident or illness. We walk to show that we are a community of proud parents, friends and supporters who are dedicated to bringing the message of acceptance and tolerance to the public and through educational programs in schools.”

You can donate online at www.firstgiving.com/emilydooley

And now for some photos…

Emily at 11 weeks old – about three months before her lip repair

The following pictures are all from July 2007…

Shiny, happy Emily after a bath.

The pre-towel picture (who cares about proper order??)

She inherited this expression from me.

“Yes I worry about her future, her challenges, her resilience and her pain. But in the quiet night, when I hold her against me, for those few moments, all that matters is that she is mine. My baby. My own.”
Quote by: Patricia Bacon Smith

I know one day she’ll kill me for posting to this blog, but really, how could I not?

Emily sings “Frere Jacques”